Thousands of Brits left without power as 'danger to life' storm batters UK with 93mph winds
Thousands of Brits are still left without power as Storm Darragh batters through the UK with 93mph winds.
A red 'danger to life' weather warning was issued to around three million homes last night (6 December), urging people to keep indoors amid the conditions.
"The storm may damage infrastructure causing power cuts and disruption to mobile phone coverage," the message issued by mobile phone read.
"Consider gathering torches, batteries, a mobile phone power pack and other essential items you already have at home."
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"Extremely strong winds associated with Storm Darragh are expected to cause significant disruption from 3.00am on Saturday 07 December 2024," it added.
"Strong winds can cause flying debris, falling trees and large waves around coastal areas, all of which can present a danger to life. Stay indoors if you can. It is not safe to drive in these conditions."
As a result, National Grid has confirmed that more than 55,000 customers have no power supply across the South West, South Wales, and the West Midlands due to Storm Darragh. It's said the majority of these were in South Wales, although around 376,000 customers have had their power restored by its teams since the start of the storm.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said it remains a 'challenging situation'.
"About three million homes will have had the emergency alert system to their mobile phone. I would just encourage anyone who has had that to follow the advice," he told Sky News.
Reynolds said National Grid staff 'will be on standby for any further challenges throughout the rest of the day'.
He added: "Where you can, stay inside, don’t put yourself at risk, and just follow the advice at all times."
Air traffic control (ATC) provider Nats has also said temporary air traffic restrictions are in place at Heathrow and Gatwick.
A spokesman said: “Due to Storm Darragh today temporary air traffic restrictions are in place. Restrictions of this sort are only ever applied to maintain safety.
“We are monitoring closely and our Met Office expert embedded within our operation is ensuring we have the latest available information.
“Our teams are working closely with airports and airlines to minimise disruption.
“Passengers should check the status of their flight with their airline.”
National Rail has announced that there will be 'significant disruption' across their network today, with cancellations and delayed services expected.
Meanwhile, today's Premier League fixture between Everton and Liverpool has been called off due to the weather.
By 6am on Sunday (8 December), all weather warnings are likely to have been lifted.
Anish Vij